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Brie and Caramelized Onion Tarts with Oatcake Crust

I have never been to Scotland. It’s a shame, really, as I believe that Scotland and I would get along very well. Minus the weather, which isn’t very pleasant. And the haggis, which I suspect isn’t very pleasant either. Yes, Scotland and I would get along famously. After all, I did attend a girl’s school for 7 years that was named after a castle in Scotland, and we were divided up into “clans” (I was a Campbell) and wore kilts and ties in the Hunting Stewart tartan. Surely this qualifies me as something of an expert on all things Scottish?

I also know my way around scottish shortbread and oatcakes like I was born to it. Every Christmas as a child, I would see the familiar red tartan of a Walkers Shortbread box peaking out of my stocking. It was in hot contention with the Toblerone bar as my favourite treat from Santa, and I often would have devoured half the box before breakfast. We would have the oatcakes with brie and other cheeses as an appetizer before Christmas dinner, and I always marvelled at how they seemed more like cookies than crackers. So when the good folks at Walkers contacted me about sampling their products and creating a holiday recipe for them, I was just tickled. What wonderful memories these cookies and crackers bring back for me.

They kindly sent me several different boxes of their wonderful shortbread, and I have quite a few ideas of how to work these into some holiday recipes which I hope to post at a later date. But what I was really excited about was the box of oatcakes, so that I could make a holiday appetizer worthy of my Christmases past.

The Results: It took a few tries to get it right, but my handy-dandy taste tester (aka my husband) didn’t mind one bit. The first round was a bit too sweet so we cut back on the carmelized onions and fig jam, to allow the brie and the oatcakes to shine through. The resulting tarts are wonderful! The crust is crumbly but holds together, and the oatiness compliments the tangy brie so well. And the touch of sweetness from the onions and jam rounds the whole taste out beautifully. They are a lovely, elegant appetizer and I plan to serve them to our friends who will be joining us for Christmas dinner.

I used 4 1/2 inch tart pans, but you could do them as little mini tarts or as one large 9-inch tart served in slices. Just adjust the baking time of the crust accordingly.

So many thanks to the good folks at Walkers for allowing me to play with their products! If you’ve never had Walkers shortbread before, you are missing out and you need to rectify this immediately. It was a Christmas tradition in my household, perhaps it should become one in yours too!

For the tart crusts, preheat oven to 350F and place four 4 1/2 inch tart pans with removable bottoms on a large baking sheet. (Alternatively, you could make one large tart in a 9 inch tart pan, or 12-16 mini tartlets). Process oatcakes in food processor until they become fine, even crumbs, about 30 seconds. Place crumbs in medium bowl and stir in butter and egg white until well combined.

Divide oatcake mixture between prepared pans. Using your fingers, press mixture firmly to bottom and up sides of pans. Bake in oven 10-12 minutes. Remove and set aside.

Melt butter in a large, heavy-duty skillet over medium heat. Stir in onions and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Add fresh thyme and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until onions are golden, about 15 minutes.

Divide chopped brie between tart shells, sprinkling in an even layer over each crust. Sprinkle onions evenly over cheese in tarts. Bake until brie is melted and slightly bubbly, about 10 minutes.

In a small bowl, stir fig jam and water together. Drizzle over tarts. Once pans are cool enough to handle, remove tarts. Serve warm.

Nutritional Disclaimer

Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program.
I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them.
I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.

This sounds delicious! I'm racking my brain now for what other crackers I could use since I'm not lucky enough to get these crackers sent as a taste test.. I only went to Scotland for a long weekend while in college and it was awesome and I'm going to honest, I really liked haggis!

Hey Carolyn, this look so delicious, and once I realized it was savory-sheesh! I want on of these now with a vinegary salad;) By the way, is the light in your photos natural? It looks like it is…I would love to know, as I'm having lighting trouble. Big time!

I love walkers Pure Butter Short Bread with the almond flavor it is one of my favorites,and always admired their handsome packaging ,very Scottish :)Your recipe using the oat cake crusts is simply The Best.Love the medley of flavors-thyme,brie and onion with fig jam…fabuloso !!!

This tarts sounds amazing! I love your comments about scotland too. But not all the haggis are taste awful. Some of the good one actually taste very nice. I love short bread too. I think you're so creative to use oatcake to make a tart. Thank you for sharing this awesome recipe. 😉

my husband, who took a pick at your post and relived some of his childhood memories, he just added some walkers to his Christmas list.I'll have to try the combo caramelized onions and fig jam, I'm pretty sure it will be a hit. thanks for sharinghave a wonderful evening

OMG I love Walkers Shortbread! They are one of the best things around. I've never tried the oatcakes but they sound really good too. Your Tarts sound and look oh so yummy! What a great combination of ingredients. Your guest are going to love them too. My mouth is watering, looks like I need to go on a hunt now:)

Looks scrumptious! We went on our honeymoon to Ben Nevis, on the West coast of Scotland. Absolutely stunning country, even in November (maybe more so because of the cold and snow) and I actually loved the haggis (although I was sure I would hate it) so you just never know… Anything you can wash down with a single malt is ok by me! And I'm thinking your tart qualifies… 😉

Oh I remember my Walkers Shortbread! This takes me back to my boarding school days in the United Kingdom when these biscuits were a staple in my (secret) student stash… Haha. I love Brie and oats, and you have incorporated both these ingredients in your tarts. As far as I'm concerned, you've just created my dream tarts!

Don't knock haggis unless you've tried it. I had some during a trip to Scotland a few years ago and it was really very tasty. Also enjoyed the mackerel we had in a couple of different restaurants — people don't necessarily associate fish with the Scots, but they have some excellent (very fishy) fish. I'll have to go get some oatcakes and Brie (fortunately both available at my local store) and try this recipe out.

Wait, you posted this yesterday….how did I miss it?! I mean, brie and crust probably called my name 1000 times and I did not hear it? I can't say how much I love the idea of the oatcake crust! I am sure you can call yourself Scottish by honor!

Delicious!!!! I've been wanting to try some extravagant with Brie! What an inspiration you are, Carolyn! No wonder Walker's asked you to sample their goods. You'd make some awesomeness from it for sure.I love their cookies, those oatcakes are certainly intriguing. My children would love it for sure. Awesome job, Carolyn.

Nice, very nice! I love tart crusts with oats usually. And I love caramelised onions with melted cheese more than anything! I tend to use goat cheese log or sometimes brie/camembert. And when I am in the mood for, I also brown some unsmoked bacon until caramelised & crispy.ps: I am sure you would appreciate haggis, if you forget what it is for a few seconds. I was vegetarian for several years, 1 year after eating meat again (not a lot though) I tried and I liked it! But it was a good product, I tasted it at the Glasgow good food show.ps2: I lived 2 years in Dundee and the weather was very good compared to France and Newcastle, where I live now.

Carolyn I am so jealous! Can you de carb this wonderful recipe enough for your diabetic followers to eat? By the way you are a genius. I have been trying for a decade to make a decent pie crust thank you for cracking the pie crust code.

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